£118MILLION plans to transform healthcare in south Essex have been welcomed by MPs and medical experts.

However, Thurrock MP Jackie Doyle-Price said the delay in implementing NHS plans to streamline services after they were referred to the Health Secretary by Southend and Thurrock councils, had been damaging.

The closure of Orsett Hospital will see the service replaced by four integrated medical centres across the borough, which aim to provide modern, state-of-the-art healthcare facilities.

She said: “We now have a final decision which means that our local NHS can now get on with delivering the much needed improvements to health services.

“Let’s remember that these recommendations have been brought forward by local clinicians and medical leaders who know better than any politician how best to deliver health services.

“Services currently delivered at Orsett Hospital will be delivered in much needed brand new medical centres closer to where people live.

“Now that the decision has been made we can get on and deliver them.”

Thanking the NHS leadership for its patience, the MP added: “It has been frustrating to encounter delay when all they want to do is deliver the best possible service to patients.”

Both Thurrock Council and Southend Council called in the decision to the secretary of state, raising a number of concerns over the merger and the feared loss of facilities.

Clare Panniker, chief executive of Basildon, Southend and Broomfield hospitals, also welcomed the decision.

She said: “Our plan to reconfigure hospital services will improve care and outcomes for over 1.2 million people who live in mid and south Essex.

“So I am delighted that the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has advised that we should press ahead with our plans to reconfigure our services.

“We know that making the changes set out in our plans will improve patient outcomes and help us achieve compliance with national service standards and we can now plan for implementation of our first stage of changes this autumn with confidence.”

Ms Panniker confirmed these include moving emergency vascular surgery to Basildon Hospital and spinal surgery from Basildon to Southend Hospital.

Those on the waiting list for hip or knee operations will be given the option of being treated at Braintree Community Hospital and emergency out-of-hours interventional radiology services will be based at Basildon Hospital.

She added: “We believe this advice is an endorsement of the excellent work of our staff from every discipline over the past years in designing and assuring new sustainable and high quality clinical services for the people of mid and south Essex.”

Not everyone was impressed with the failure of the referral however.

Victoria Holloway, who chairs Thurrock’s health overview and scrutiny committee insisted Orsett Hospital should stay, alongside new medical centres.